Vacuum cleaner, including a bottom closure member



Nov. 3, 1953 v F. s. HOWARD 2,657,417

VACUUM CLEANER, INCLUDING A BOTTOM CLOSURE MEMBER Filed Nov. 6, 1946 I 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 NOV. 3, 1953 5, HOWARD 2,657,417

VACUUM CLEANER, INCLUDING A BOTTOM CLOSURE MEMBER I Filed NOV. 6, 1946 4 Sheets- Sheet 2 Nov. 3, 1953 HOWARD 2,657,417

, VACUUM CLEANER, INCLUDING A BOTTOM CLOSURE MEMBER Filed Nov. 6, 1.946 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Nov. 3, 1953 F. s. HOWARD 2,657,417

VACUUM CLEANER, INCLUDING A BOTTOM CLOSURE MEMBER Filed Nov. 6, 1946 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented Nov. 3, 1 953 VACUUM CLEANER, INCLUDIN G A BOTTOM CLOSURE MEMBER Frank S. Howard, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Birtman Electric Company, a corporation of Illinois Application November 6, 1946, Serial No. 708,157

3 Claims.

This invention relates to a vacuum cleaner, and particularly to a cleaner having a removable bottom plate member which may be easily removed for ready inspection of the parts of the cleaner including the rotatable brush, the belt,

and the like.

In vacuum cleaners having a motor driven fan, a rotatable brush, and a belt or other means operated by the motor to drive the brush, it is sometimes necessaryto inspect the belt, brush, and other elements that are normally adjacent the bottom of the cleaner. This hassometimes been difiicult in prior cleaners. The present invention is particularly concerned with a readily removable bottom plate member that forms a part of the cleaner construction and that when removed exposes those moving parts of the cleaner that ordinarily require the most frequent inspection. This plate member is specifically designed for use with a cleaner having a fan chamber, a fan therein, an inlet to the fan chamber, a brush chamber having an opening for the entrance of dirt-laden air from the work being cleaned, and a passageway connecting the brush chamber with the fan chamber opening. The removable plate member defines a wall of the passageway and work-contacting edge portions of the brush chamber opening. In a preferred embodiment the removable plate member also contains a displaceable portion which may be displaced for the insertion of a converter attachment by means of which the cleaner may be converted from on-the-fioor cleaning to off-thefloor cleaning by the use of various attachments.

The invention willbe described as related to one embodiment as shown in the accompanying drawings. Of the drawings Fig. 1 is an elevation of a vacuum cleaner embodying the invention; Fig. 2 is. a bottom view of the cleaner showing a removable plate in place on the bottom of the cleaner; Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, but with the bottom plate removed; Fig. l is a top view of the removable plate member; Fig. 5 is a front end elevation of the plate member; and Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the plate member.

The'vacuum cleaner will be described herein in its entirety although elements other than the removable bottom plate are claimed in various co-pending applications noted hereinafter.

The vacuum cleaner shown in the accompanying drawings comprises a casing having front 2|, intermediate 22, and rear 23 wheels, a handle 24 connected to the casing, a bag filter 25, a motor operated fan 26, a rotatable brush 21 housed in a brush chamber 28, a belt 29 extending between 2 the brush 21 and a spindle 30 operated by the motor, a belt guard 3|, and a nozzle opening 32 in the brush chamber 28 and beneath the brush 21.

Dirt-laden air is drawn in the nozzle opening 32, through a passageway 33 defined by side walls 34, into a fan chamber opening 35, and is exhausted by the fan 26 through an exit 36 into the bag filter 25. The exit 36, fan housing 31, side walls 34, and belt guard 3| side walls are all integral and formed from one casting.

In order to provide ready access to the rotatable brush 21, belt 29, pasageway 33, spindle 30, and fan chamber opening 35, there is provided a removable plate 38 forming the bottom of the passageway 33 and belt housing 3|. The front of the plate 38 is formed to produce contacting edge portions 39 of the nozzle opening 32. These edge portions 39 form the rear margin of the nozzle opening as well as side margins 39a. The portion 40 which forms the bottom of the belt guard 3| has'an extended portion 4| which extends across the nozzle opening 32 and beneath the brush contacting portion of the belt 23. Located, on this extending portion 4| are upwardly extending portions 42 arranged on either side of the belt and having curved surfaces 43 closely embracing the brush 21. These upwardly extending portions 42 serve to protect the belt where it contacts the brush from dirt in the air stream. The upwardly extending portions 42 are reinforced by having those sections 44 of the forward portion 4| bent inwardly as shown in Fig. 6.

The brush 21 has removable brush elements 45 with each element consisting of a backing 46 seated in a slot and held by a screw 41. The backing members 46 each'hold a row of bristles 48. This particular brush construction is described and claimed in the Charles H. Sparklin and Frank S. Howard copending application Serial No. 663,710, filed April 20, 1946, now Patent No. 2,568,772, issued September 25, 1951.

The ends of the brush 21 are held in resilient bearings 49 of rubber or the like, and are free to turn in these bearings. Each bearing is substantially square, and'is held by the parallel walls 50 having a bottom opening 5|. The bearings 49 are held in place by upwardly extending members 52 located on both ends of the plate 38 adjacent the end edge portions 39a. Each member 52 has a flat portion 53 adapted to bear against one of the bearings 49 and hold it in place. In order to protect the bearings from dirt there is provided a section 54 having an arcuate top surface 55 arranged to closely embrace the brush cylinder 2101. near the end thereof. The mounting for the brush 2! just described is claimed in my copending application Serial No. 708,993, filed November 9, 1946.

The side walls 34 of the passageway 33 are arranged so as to provide an end opening 56. This end opening is for the insertion of converter attachments as described and claimed in my copending application Serial No. 566,308, filed December 2, 1944, now Patent No. 2,525,801, issued October 17, 1950. This opening is normally kept closed by a hinged gate 51 mounted on the rear of the removable plate 38 and arranged to bear against a stop member 58 (Fig. 4) formed integrally with the bottom. of the fan chamber. The gate 5! is turnable around a hinge rod 90 so that when a converter attachment is inserted into the end opening 56 it bears against the gate 57 and forces the gate inwardly; The stop member aids in sealing the passageway 33 when the gate is in closed position. The gate 51 is ordinarily held closed by a spring member 59. Sloping approach portions 69 are provided adjacent the stop member 60 to aid in inserting the converter attachment. The top surface of the plate 38 has a raised section 6| to aid in holding the converter attachment against the fan chamber opening 35.

In order to fasten the bottom plate 38 in place the side walls 34 are provided with thickened portions 62 having threaded holes 63 therein for receiving screws 64 which pass through holes 89 in corresponding portions of the plate 38. The bottom plate may be easily removed by removing these screws. The belt guard 3| for protecting the belt 29 is described and claimed in the Charles H. Sparklin copending application Serial No. 539,331, filed June 8, 1944, now abandoned.

At the front of the casing 29 there is located the nozzle 55. This nozzle is provided with a furniture guard 56 that is described and claimed in my copending application Serial No. 708, 482, filed November 8, 1946. This furniture guard is preferably made of an extensible material, such as rubber or the like, and is held in place by front projections 91 on the nozzle-engaging grooves formed in the furniture guard 56. The ends of the guard are held by holding members 69 adapted to be inserted in slots in the casing 20.

The bag 25 is removably fastened to the exhaust port, through which dirt-laden air is exhausted. The entrance opening of the bag 25 is fastened to an annular member 09' adapted to bear against the outer surface of the exhaust port. This annular member 39 is adapted to seat I in an elongated socket 32 at the side of the exhaust port all as described and claimed in my copending application Serial No. 708,158, filed November 6, 1946, now Patent No. 2,471,431, issued Lay 31, 1949.

Having described my invention as related to the embodiment shown in the accompanying .rawings, it is my intention that the invention be not limited by any of the details of the description unless otherwise specified, but rather be construed broadly within its spirit and scope as set out in the accompanying claims.

I claim:

1. In a vacuum cleaner comprising a cleaner body including a nozzle, a rotatable brush in the nozzle and including a brush spindle, a fan chamber in the cleaner body, a passage in the cleaner body for dirt-laden air extending from said nozzle to said fan chamber and open at the bottom, and a belt contacting the brush spindle for rotating the brush, a removable closure member forming the bottom of the cleaner body and having a closing portion closing the bottom of said air passage, said bottom closing portion having an extending part projecting across the bottom of the nozzle beneath the belt, and side pieces on the extending part positioned on opposite sides of said belt and enclosing the part of the belt that contacts the bottom of the brush spindle.

2. In a vacuum cleaner comprising a cleaner body including a nozzle, a rotatable brush in the nozzle and including a brush spindle, a fan chamher in the cleaner body, a passage in the cleaner body for dirt-laden air extending from said nozzle to said fan chamber and open at the bottom, and a belt contacting the brush spindle for rotating the brush, a removable closure member forming the bottom of the cleaner body and having a closing portion closing the bottom of said air passage, and a dis'placeable gate member attached to the closure member and providing access to said fan chamber by way of said air passage for receiving a converter attachment, said gate member being located at the rear of said closure member and air passage and, when in normally closed position, forming the end wall of said air passage, said bottom closing portion having an extending part projecting across the bottom of the nozzle beneath the belt, and side pieces on the extending part positioned on opposite sides of said belt and enclosing the part of the'belt that contacts the bottom of the brush spindle.

3. The vacuum cleaner of claim 2 wherein the main body of said closure member, said gate member, said extending part and said side pieces all comprise sheet metal stampings.

FRANK S. HOWARD.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,539,843 Hume June 2, 1925 1,773,961 Dance Aug. 26, 1930 1,820,350 Dance Aug. 25, 1931 2,008,476 Taylor 1 July 16, 1935 2,070,682 Pierce Feb. 16, 1937 2,099,172 McCabe Nov. 16, 1937 2,188,379 Taylor. Jan. 30, 1940 2,345,514 Troxler Mar. 28, 1944 2,375,331 Taylor May 8, 1945 2,416,736 White Mar, 4, 1947 2,482,337 Hahn Sept. 20, 1949 2,485,371 Sparklin Oct. 25, 1949 2,525,801 Howard Oct. 1'7, 1950 

